Today, 9.2 % of the world’s population is undernourished or suffering from hunger, and 149 million children are affected by chronic malnutrition. Many regions across the world are simultaneously experiencing several forms of malnutrition, which are exacerbated by economic, social and environmental inequalities. In light of this, it is urgent that we rethink our food, production and consumption systems. In this article, GRET puts forward a series of recommendations to encourage healthy, sustainable diets.
Support agroecology
Universal access to healthy food depends primarily on food security. GRET actively supports agroecology, a mode of production that valorises environmentally respectful practices while meeting populations’ nutritional needs, because it enables diversified food production and improved availability of nutritious foods.
Agroecology is promoted by fair and sustainable development actors. This agricultural model provides a response to major agro-environmental and socio-economic challenges, at local and global level.
Valorise local products
In addition to these changes in agricultural practices, GRET recommends valorisation of local products. It is essential to strengthen local agrifood value chains, by supporting producers in the areas of quality, production, marketing and structuring of markets. This not only makes it possible to improve supply of nutritious products, it also ensures fair access to these foods.
In the Sahel and in Madagascar, for example, initiatives were implemented to support the production and marketing of local fortified foods. These products, which are suited to the nutritional needs of women and young children, are aimed at fighting against malnutrition while stimulating the local economy.
In West Africa, GRET has been working for many years on the development of the local milk value chain, enabling producers to earn a decent income and contribute to the provision of nutritious products, in particular for children.
These initiatives demonstrate that valorisation of local products can contribute to solving malnutrition problems while supporting local economies.
Education and awareness-raising for sustainable change
Another central dimension of GRET’s approach is education and awareness-raising on nutrition. Social communication campaigns are conducted to promote good eating, healthcare and hygiene practices, in order to encourage healthy eating behaviours and increase consumption of healthy foods.
In Myanmar, for example, GRET combined support for market gardeners’ agroecological transition and actions to raise awareness on nutrition in villages, schools and markets.
Solutions for specific nutritional needs
Promoting healthy diets requires taking specific nutritional needs into account, in particular those of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children. The first 1,000 days, which include pregnancy and the child’s first two years of life, are crucial in the prevention of malnutrition and in ensuring healthy development.
Specific actions aimed at improving women’s and children’s diets must be prioritised. It is not just about providing nutritious foods, it is also necessary to ensure that these products will be available over the long term, that they are appealing, affordable, and suited to local contexts and consumers’ expectations.
GRET covers this approach and the importance of designing specific products for the first 1000 days in a briefing note based on its experiences in the Sahel.
Access to healthy, sustainable food: a fundamental right
Access to healthy, sustainable food is a fundamental right. To achieve this, our food systems must be transformed by promoting environmentally respectful agricultural practices, valorising local products and raising populations’ awareness on the importance of a diversified, healthy diet.
Through its initiatives, GRET is demonstrating that it is possible to reconcile local economic development and improvement of diets, by placing the most vulnerable populations’ needs at the core of its actions. GRET is also working internationally alongside key nutrition actors to prepare the next “Nutrition for Growth” (N4G) summit, which will take place in France on 27 and 28 mars 2025.
